Indian Sun Dance–Young Bucks Proving Their Endurance by Self-Torture ("Harper's Weekly," Vol. XIX, pp. 8-9)

Tavernier arrived at Camp Robinson, Nebraska, in time to witness the annual Sun Dance, a weeklong ceremony of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, which required special permission from Native leaders. He chose to illustrate a sensationalized scene for Harper’s Weekly that took place, as reported in the magazine, "on the last day of the ceremonies, when the young warriors...undergo various self-inflicted tortures for the purpose of proving their powers of endurance—such as piercing the skin." For this rare double-page spread, Tavernier took pains to provide accurate details of the circular enclosure and the densely packed figural groupings, along with dramatic light effects—all of which presage his painting "Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse."

The Sun Dance ceremony was an expression of faith and a solemn occasion. Tavernier’s depiction is in the genre of published journalism illustrations of this period that sensationalized what was perceived to be the "savagery" of the western tribes, influencing public opinion about how the "Indian problem out West" should be dealt with. Tavernier did treat many of the subjects in the scene with historical accuracy, including the tribal members wearing both Indigenous and European attire, but he took artistic license with others, conflating events that occurred over several days into this last day of a complex and episodic drama.

—Arthur Amiotte (Oglala Lakota)